The unparalleled excellence of Christ
Hebrews 1:1-4
Introduction
On a cold day in January 1961, the 43-year-old new elected president of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy, delivered his inauguration speech. The world remembers this line,
“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Citizens are not consumers, rather they are producers.
Let’s consider this principle in relation to the Kingdom of God. God’s children are not simply recipients of His benefits; rather, they worship Him as the gracious giver of life. Empowered by grace, Christians seek to honour and glorify God through their lives.
It’s important to understand our reasons for worshipping Christ. Is He there merely for our benefit? Or did He save us to serve Him purposefully in His kingdom?
The phrase “Christ died for us” is often used in Christian discussions, but do believers fully grasp its implications? Was His sacrifice primarily intended to aid us during times of trouble, or to spare us from hardship? Or was His death simply meant to serve as an example of how Christians should help others?
Don’t misunderstand what “what I can do for Christ” means. Nothing we do can add to Christ’s grace or Person. Our efforts cannot change who He is or what He has accomplished. Our service, honour, and praise are rooted in His identity.
A deeper understanding of who Christ is, transforms how Christians serve Him. They change from consumers of grace to doers because of grace.
Today we begin a sermon series from the book of Hebrews. The over-arching theme is “The unparalleled excellence of of Jesus Christ”.
Why worship Christ? He is God’s Word!
The first four verses state indisputably that God has spoken finally and definitively in his Son. How God revealed His will in the past has come to an end. 8“In the past” God spoke people and prophets, but “in these last days” He spoke to us in his Son.
The term “past” refers to the period before Christ’s birth.
In “the past,” refers to God’s communication with his people for hundreds of years as He spoke to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God also spoke to Moses and Joshua, Samuel and Saul. His messages were given to David and the kings of Judah and Israel, and to the prophets. All the Old Testament is in a sense prophetic. It reveals the will of God, but it always pointed to fulfillment. That’s why there are many references to the “the day of the Lord”.
The Bible also speaks of the “old” covenant and the “new” covenant. The author of Hebrews later speaks of this crossing over from the “old” to the “new”.
“By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13)
This day finds fulfillment in “the “last”. “This day” did not mean the last day of history. Instead, it was the day on which the expectation of the Old Testament became reality in Christ. Hebrews 9:26 is clear,
“But as it is, he [Christ] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:26, ESV)
When discussing “the last days,” the author of Hebrews uses a word that signifies a pivotal moment in time. This word marks a division. It indicates the end of what was previously expected and now moves into fulfilment.
The end began with the coming of Jesus. Peter writes,
“He was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”
Paul also understood it this way. He writes,
“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11, ESV)
On Pentecost Day, Peter preaches,
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17, ESV)
Paul writes to Timothy about the falling away of many Christians in “the last days.” He refers to them “devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1). He also mentions the last days as “times of difficulty.” (2 Timothy 3:1, ESV) He is not talking about the end of times. Why would he write to Timothy in 64 AD to warn them about circumstances that would manifest only two of three thousand years later!
The birth, suffering, death and resurrection of Christ introduced us to the “last days”. We need to be careful. We shouldn’t interpret “the last days” as only referring to the time before Jesus will return.
Therefore, Hebrews 1:1 state that God has spoken finally and definitively in his Son. He is God’s last revelation. He replaced the prophets, the priests and the kings and now occupies theses offices.
Why worship Christ: Old Covenant Promises are fulfilled in Him
Israel was known as God’s son. That’s how God referred to His people when He spoke to the pharaoh. “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,” (Exodus 4:22).
King David was also known as God’s son.
“I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,” (2 Samuel 7:14)
David writes in Psalm 2,
“I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” (Psalm 2:7)
Hebrews 1:2 says, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.” Jesus is the unique and eternal Son of God. He shares the nature of God.
The Son is the heir. He fulfills God’s promise to David. There will forever be someone sitting on his throne. As heir of the throne of David, He inherited the kingship. As David ruled over the land Israel, so Christ rules over all of creation. Israel is now enlarged to encompass all the nations of the world over which Christ rules as king. More than that, He rules the world sitting to God’s right hand. The one who was put to death in Jerusalem on a cross a few decades earlier is praised now. He is recognized as the one who created the world!
On Pentecost Day Peter combined what we have heard today in one sermon. He said of David,
“Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore He is exalted at the right hand of God…” (Acts 2:30–33)
To His human nature Christ was the fulfillment of God’s promises. To Abraham God promised that all the nations will be blessed in Him. Paul states clearly that Abraham’s seed does not refer to a specific nationality, but that it refers to Christ. Paul writes,
“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “’n you shall all the nations be blessed.’” (Galatians 3:8)
“Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16)
The assumption that whosoever curse Israelites is not correct. Seen in the light of what we just heard from the Scriptures, those who curse Christ will be cursed. Those who curse those whom He purchased with His blood will also be cursed.
Why worship Christ? He is King of the universe
He is far greater than angels. He is the exalted and reigning Son, the one who rules the universe. The created world does not run by “laws of nature,” Christ is continuing to oversee and steer what He created.
God appointed Him as heir of all things, because through Him God created the universe. The apostle Paul clearly proclaims,
“For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16–17)
The universe is sustained by the personal and powerful word of the Son. The created world is dependent on His will for its functioning and preservation.
We worship Christ because He sustains us. He gives us our daily bread. He gives us life, health, friends, the air we breathe. David writes in Psalm 103,
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2–5)
And we ask, “How can I worship my King?” He who gives me everything is worthy of my praise and adoration. He is not my sugar daddy to satisfy my desires;
He is my Lord who deserves my everything. Yes, He is my Lord!
Why worship Christ? He is my Saviour
One of the major themes of the letter to the Hebrews is Christ’s mediatorship. He is the Saviour who provided purification of sins (verse 4).
His mediatorship of more excellent than that of the High Priests. He Himself was the last High Priest, the last sacrifice, the last atonement. Everything He provides is better.
What was a shadow in the Old Testament became the clear picture in the Old Testament. The old covenant is past, the new covenant is now in place. His atonement is final and perfect. Hebrews 10:1-2 states,
“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?” (Hebrews 10:1–2, ESV)
Chapter 2:17-18,
“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
Why do need to worship Christ? He is our atonement. Without Him there is no forgiveness of sin. Without Him, there is no way to the Father. He is your Saviour. Worship Him and dedicate your life to glorify Him!
Why worship Christ? Because He is God
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3)
Christ is now ruling with God, sitting at His right hand. The right hand signifies power, protection, and triumph. Jesus shares the same identity as God.
Sharing the throne with God holds great significance. It demonstrates Christ’s participation in the unique sovereignty of God over the world. Because the Son successfully and comprehensively completed the mission the Father assigned to Him, He is now seated at God’s right hand. And he reigns at God’s right hand as the Lord of the universe and as the Davidic Messiah. He is exalted as the reigning king over the universe.
So, the letter to the Hebrews shines the light on the two natures of Christ:
- As man, Christ came to trample the devil underfoot. He fulfilled the promise of God which He made in Paradise. He also came to be the Seed of Abraham to guide His people to a greater Promised Land. It is beyond just a small state on the banks of the Jordan River. The word belongs to Him. He reigns on the throne of David forever. He conquered death and sin.
- As the eternal Son of God, He returned to the throne. The Father had sent Him to rescue a people for Himself.
We worship Him as the Son of Man, but also as the eternal Son of God.
Conclusion
Lord Jesus, before You we bow in adoration. We want to serve You and glorify You.
Naracoorte Presbyterian Church 